Netanyahu: Yoni's death changed my life's course

VIDEO - MK Benjamin Netanyahu, whose brother Yoni was killed during the Entebbe operation, spoke on Tuesday in a Knesset ceremony honoring the 30-year anniversary of the operation. "I will be inspired until the end of my days, just as I was inspired in my youth, by the strength and courage of my brother," he said, shedding a tear. This is the first time Netanyahu has spoken about the operation in the Knesset. According to Netanyahu, the operation in which his brother was killed changed the course of his life. "The death of a brother, whose life was cut short in its prime, is a traumatic event by all accounts. It diverted the course of my life to its current direction. But the grief of a bereaved brother, as painful or heartrending as it may be, can not be compared to the great suffering borne by parents who are forced to bury their son. We can only hope that these parents, who sacrificed the greatest possible thing, can take comfort in the fact that the story of their son and his brave friends in Entebbe reverberates with the bravery of all of Israel's fallen sons," he said. Entebbe and reality today Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik tied the campaign - undertaken to rescue kidnapped civilians in 1976 - to the recent kidnap of Cpl. Gilad Shalit. "Today, when we are tensely praying for Gilad's safety, the date reminds us that the enemy's hands never rest, and that nothing has changed in the eyes of those who desire our demise. It is impossible for us today not to send up a joint prayer - for all those waiting at home - that, just as our brethren in Entebbe returned safely home, so we will see Gilad Shalit return safely home," she said. According to Itzik, Israel stood alone in the fight to protect her citizens. "No one deluded himself that the nations of the world will rise to defend us. Day after day, fear for the fate of the kidnapped ate away us. The Israeli government, under the leadership of then-PM Yitzhak Rabin, made a difficult decision: Not to surrender to the blackmail of the terrorists. Only a very thin line separated between great success and horrible failure. The soldiers demonstrated bravery and resourcefulness, and when the planes took off for home, a huge sigh of relief was uttered by us all," she said. MK Eitam (center) with MK Sneh (left) upon their return from Entebbe (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Office) MK Ephraim Sneh, who headed the medical team who declared the death of Yoni Netanyahu, explained that "we didn't have time to think of the deeper implications of the mission we were about to undertake. Just like usual, in the hours before such an operation, you're busy worrying about what you've forgotten, what you haven’t thought of, those with whom you haven't come to terms. Situations and responses." No distance too great "We proved that there is no difficulty that the IDF is not able to overcome, no operational problem so complicated that we cannot find a solution, no distance too great for the air force. We set a new standard, for the whole world, for what a free nation will do for her citizens, trapped in the hands of terrorists. We created a new, practical meaning, sanctified by blood, for the solidarity between all Jews, for the idea that all in Israel are responsible for one another," he said. Like Itzik, MK Sneh drew a connection between the Entebbe operation and the current situation in Israel. "Thirty years have passed. Terror now takes a more vengeful form, religious in its nature, Satanic in its method. Hatred of Israel is the central tenet in the doctrines of global jihad, of the terror organizations, of the evil regime in Tehran. We need military resourcefulness, creative operational thinking, and, most importantly, confidence in ourselves and faith that we are able to plan and do anything from anywhere, even far away on the horizon." Then-commander of the Golani elite unit, MK Effie Eitam, who also participated in the operation, said: "Take with you the spirit of Entebbe, cast it upon the problems of today, upon the vastly different modern reality, and this spirit will lead you and us to a safe haven."

Netanyahu: Yoni's death changed my life's course

(VIDEO) In commemoration ceremony, Likud chairman talks about Entebbe operation, brother Yoni's death